


A Darker Color

by coshie



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: (no i don't), Anne and Dan are cool, Canon-Typical Violence, Domestic Fluff, F/M, First Time, Love Confessions, Multi, Other, Polyamory, Possessive Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Rough Sex, Shower Sex, because why not, everyone is poly, kind of?, these two are stupid cute and i hate it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-01-23 18:10:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18555079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coshie/pseuds/coshie
Summary: Eddie is finally adjusting to sharing his body with an alien.  In more than one way.  Life has settled down, and he and Venom are settling into comfortable routines.He knew it wouldn't last.Conflict arrives in the form of Lucy, one of Eddie's new coworkers, and her twin brother Sam.  At first, they seem to be just two (disarmingly attractive) siblings who vie for Eddie's attention.  But as he gets to know them, Eddie begins to suspect there's more to it than that.  When Venom helpfully informs him what's going on, Eddie must once again struggle to adjust to a whole new brand of weirdness.[tags will get added as I post new chapters because I suck at tags]





	1. day one

**Author's Note:**

> This is prob gonna be a long one. I've already got twelve chapters written with at least like five more planned. Anyone in for a novel-length fanfic? ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ
> 
> Also, I don't normally post my stuff with original characters, so. Don't judge me too harshly.  
> ヾ(｡﹏｡)ﾉﾞ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of the rest of their lives

**_Eddie._ **

Just over three weeks since the explosion, and he had been woken up every morning the same way.  The voice in his head, an echo inside his mind, pushing away sleep much faster than he had ever managed it on his own.  At first, it was a growl, usually demanding food. But lately it had softened to something that Eddie could only describe as a purr, and it had started waiting a few hours before suggesting they find something more substantial than the toaster pastries or bowls of sugary cereals Eddie started his day with.

He rolled over to grab his phone from his bedside table to check the time.  It was 7:00am exactly. Again. Apparently the symbiote was a better alarm clock than he could have possibly wanted. He didn't have to be into work until 9am, and it was a short 20min commute away.  Why Venom decided to wake him up at such an hour  _ every morning _ , Eddie didn't know.

**_Eddie_ ** , the voice came again, swirling in his head.  He hadn't acknowledged it yet; it was like a game they played, some weird version of playing hard to get.  Eddie didn't really know why they did this, but they both knew that he won’t respond until the third---  **_Shower._ **

“Demanding this morning, aren’t we, V,” Eddie murmured.  He still hadn’t been able to break the habit of responding out loud; call it a human thing, or stubbornness, or whatever, but he felt that conversations were supposed to be verbal.  As he sat up with a yawn and stretched, he realized that he, in fact, did need a shower. He kicked his blanket aside to find that he had apparently had a wet dream at some point. His boxers were soaked with semen and his shirt with sweat.  “Shower,” Eddie repeated in agreement with a sigh.

He stood and peeled off his shirt and boxers, discarding them in the corner with a handful of other dirty clothes on his way to the bathroom.   **_Why the mess?_ ** asked the voice that he was still adjusting to, even now.  It was nearly constant; but how long was it supposed to take before you grew accustomed to a different voice in your head that voiced thoughts separate from yours, anyway?

“What do you mean, ‘why the mess’?” Eddie scoffed as he turned the water on in the shower.  “I had a wet dream.”

There was no immediate response, and this gave Eddie a few moments to think.  He hadn’t had a wet dream in years, but he wasn’t surprised that it had happened.  He hadn’t jerked off since Venom had joined him; he knew how to handle jerking off when he was with someone who enjoyed watching or helping, but had no idea on protocol with a parasite.

**_NOT a parasite, Eddie._ **  He snorted as he stepped into the water.  Maybe worrying about jerk-off protocol wasn’t a priority when he couldn’t even figure out how to operate while never being alone inside his own head.  Well, that wasn’t entirely true; he was managing his life just fine, even with the addition of a second personality.

Maybe even better than “just fine”.

He let the water run down him and wash away the mess, but made no extra effort in cleaning, just enjoying the water.  Venom still hadn’t really responded to his answer. Even though the symbiote didn't seem to have any trouble reading his thoughts, or at least the general gist of them, Eddie still had to focus if he wanted to see the other's; probably something to do with him being the host.  So he did, he closed his eyes and focused, and could feel a curiosity weaving around his thoughts that was separate from his own musings. He realized he probably shouldn’t have assumed that an alien being would have any idea about wet dreams or ejactulation or jerking off or… or any of it, really.

But without voicing any of this, he got a response.   **_We see pieces of your memories, we do understand._ **

“Then why did you ask?”

**_This hasn’t happened since I found you._ **

More than three weeks since his last orgasm?  He didn’t think he’d ever gone that long without at least jerking off since puberty.  He had felt faint stirrings a few times, as things had settled down and gone back to normal; but the thought of touching himself with this snarky  **_not a parasite_ ** alien creature inside his head was usually enough to dispel any further desires.

**_You don’t want me here._ **  He didn’t have to focus this time to feel the tendrils of separate emotion that twirled anxious through his thoughts; the voice was  _ concerned _ behind the front of stating a casual observation.

Eddie blinked, and looked down at his hands.  He wished he could be having this conversation with anyone  _ (or anything) _ else to look at, especially since it seemed like it might get serious here in a second.  How was he supposed to explain that he wanted life to be simpler like it was before he broke into the Life Foundation, he wanted to go back to a time when his biggest concern was where his next paycheck was coming from not his next  _ meal of human flesh _ \--- while at the same time expressing that having some _ thing _ else inside of him was an unexpectedly welcome comfort for a life as lonely and depressing as his had become?  Of course he wanted life to be easy again, but  _ of course he wanted Venom here with him, inside him _ .

As he flexed his fingers for something to do, he saw Venom’s formless threads spill from his palm, taking form from Eddie’s own voiceless desire to have something to look at as they talked.  A miniaturized version of Venom’s head appeared on a stalk so that it was roughly at eye level with Eddie. “You didn’t have to---”

“ **_You wanted to look at me._ ** ”  A statement of fact, not something he could argue with.

“Yes, all right.”  Eddie heaved a sigh.  “Look, V, I don’t mind that you’re here,” he began, but all those thoughts had just flown through his mind; Venom would have heard them too.  “I--- I do want you here. But.”

**_You want me here._ **  The thought wasn’t directed at him, but it was apparently clear enough that Eddie felt the words without trying.  The concern ebbed away, and the little Venom in his hand swayed in what he was sure was a satisfied kind of way.

“Of course I do, you know that.   _ But _ ,” he started again, “we need to talk about ...some things.”

“ **_About jerking off?_ ** ”

Yes, but Eddie could feel heat rise in his cheeks that had nothing to do with the steam of the shower at the thought of having this conversation.  He attempted to stutter a response without really saying anything.

“ **_You don’t have to talk out loud if you’re going to answer anyway_ ** ,” Venom said  _ out loud _ , smugness dripping like the water from Eddie’s hair.  It swayed again, ever-present smile widening.

“Okay, look,” Eddie huffed  _ and Venom actually laughed _ and he shook the water from his eyes, “jerking off is something I’m going to have to do, and while yes, I do want you here, it would be great if you could… could  _ shut off _ for a bit---”

“ **_I’m not your computer, I don’t---_ ** ”

“You know damn well what I mean,” Eddie cut in.  “I don’t want to hear you while I’m trying to jerk off.”

Little Venom tilted to the side in a clear sign of bemusement or coyness or curiosity; whatever it was, Eddie hated himself a little for thinking  _ it was adorable _ .  The smile widened again, but instead of responding to the silent compliment, Venom asked, “ **_Why not?_ ** ”

“Why--- why not?”  Eddie stammered a bit in his attempt to process the question.  He blinked a few times and shook his head. “What the hell do you mean, why not?”

“ **_Do you not like hearing me?_ ** ”  Little Venom disappeared back into his hands, and Eddie felt a slight tug of the skin between his shoulder blades as the symbiote manifested from his back, and curled around his shoulders to  _ actually whisper into his ear _ , “ **_You can’t lie to us, Eddie._ ** ”

Any response would have been unnecessary, because it was true; Eddie  _ was  _ beginning to adapt to the voice inside his head, beginning to  _ expect  _ it even.  Beginning  _ to want it _ .  But that didn’t mean he wanted it  _ all the time _ .

And then ideas began flashing through his mind that had somehow never occurred to him before, more thought than image, of a voice crooning in his ear,  _ in his mind _ , as he stroked his cock, encouraging him, enjoying it at least as much as he was, no,  _ exactly as much as he was _ because they were basically one and the same, Eddie’s pleasure was Venom’s, and Venom’s enjoyment was Eddie’s.   _ And then  _ came completely unbidden images of silky black tendrils curled around his cock, his chest, his neck,  _ all of him _ , enveloping him in a possessive embrace, stroking and squeezing, slithering over him in delighted exploration, and Eddie actually stumbled back and had to brace himself against the wall of the shower.  That wasn’t his thought. No… no, it was, but it hadn’t originated in his own mind.

It took him a moment to realize that the strands of Venom draped over his shoulders were being joined by a web of tendrils that were slowly moving along his arms and chest.   _ Caressing _ .

“ **_You enjoyed the dream_ ** ,” Venom told him, bobbing in front of him, “ **_and I enjoyed your enjoyment.  We want that again._ ** ”

“I--- what?”  Eddie braced himself against the wall, realized he was already bracing himself, and reached up to rub his head as if to clear it.  A useless exercise. “You can’t mean---” But one of the tendrils was snaking up his neck and was now at his lips, and another was curling around his thigh.  Yes, Venom did mean he wanted to help Eddie jerk off.

**_Not just help._ **  Not just help, Eddie repeated to himself, actually mouthing the words.  And then he was overwhelmed with foreign thoughts and images---

_ Warm skin, wet from the shower, tastes like sunlight but saltier; quickened heartbeat and pulse of desire sugary sweet, better than chocolate; a sharp inhale as strands reach the cock, and new pulses of surprise and pleasure; mouth open slightly, lips parted, hot breath on the tendril perched on the bottom lip. _

__ Tendrils wrap tighter around arms and chest:  mine.  
T __ hreads around neck squeeze just a little more to feel the leaping heartbeat in a way different from being inside:  mine.  
_ Color in cheeks, eyes glazing:  mine.  
_ __ All mine.

Distracted as he was from the enveloping embrace and what could only be described as  _ the rhythmic caress of his cock _ , Eddie could suddenly feel something more than the possessive want throbbing through him.  This was something brighter but deeper, something so radiant warm that it made the shower feel like ice water.

“V---” Eddie started, but didn’t know what he had to say.  He looked around to see little Venom still draped over one shoulder, watching him.  Watching was unnecessary; they could  _ feel everything _ and Eddie felt a moan in the back of his throat as Venom’s tendrils began to squeeze his cock a little more tightly and move a little more quickly.

**_I know._ **

Eddie could feel himself panting as the sleek black strands continued to explore every inch of his skin, finding every sensitive spot he had and  _ taking advantage _ of knowing how much he liked to be touched on his inner thigh, the back of his neck, the small of his back, the line of his collarbone.  He felt his bottom lip being tugged, and the tendril that had been sitting there was moving up across his lips, across his cheek, and into his hair in a semblance of combing fingers through his hair to grip and pull, and the action was just human enough to make Eddie press his lips against the tendril over his mouth in an open-mouthed kiss.  A surge of pleasure thrilled through him like lightning that had nothing to do with his own enjoyment, and when he pressed his tongue against the tendril,  _ Venom actually shook, shivered in pleasure _ , as another bolt of delight pulsed through his brain.

Much too soon, he thought, he felt the orgasm begin to build.  Still braced against the wall, Eddie hadn’t even realized that he was thrusting his hips in time with the steady stroking that hadn’t faltered, and then he heard Venom veritably _ purring in his ear _ , “ **_My Eddie_ ** ,” and somehow that was all it took, and Eddie gasped and came and the feeling shot through him twice as strongly, so it was good he was still bracing himself or else he probably would have fallen down.

After a few moments, Eddie took a deep breath and glanced down.  The web of black threads was beginning to retract, catching one last caress as they fell into his skin again, save for the scarf-like little Venom at his shoulder.  The smile was as wide as Eddie had ever seen it. “ **_Enjoy it, Eddie?_ ** ”

“You know damn well I did,” Eddie murmured, and felt a swell of pride quite apart from his current satisfaction.  The symbiote was  _ proud _ at having brought Eddie to ecstasy, the realization of which produced a sudden wave of affection for the voice in his head, the demon on his shoulder, the alien inside of him.  He reached up with the hand not holding his balance against the wall to reach out and pet little Venom. The miniaturized symbiote nuzzled back into his hand, and Eddie couldn’t help but smile.  He leaned forward and kissed what would have been its temple, and to Eddie’s satisfaction, Venom turned instead to nuzzle against his cheek.

Who knew an alien would understand afterglow.

  
  
  


 

When he stepped out of the shower and was handed his towel by a tentacle that had reached for it as he was turning the water off, Eddie said, “So.  I guess forget everything I said about not wanting you around when I jerk off.”

Venom was still draped over his shoulders, and had nuzzled into the crook of Eddie’s neck where it was exerting a comforting warmth.  “ **_We know._ ** ”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Eddie said with a roll of his eyes.  “You did all right, V.”

“ **_Can do better._ ** ”

“Oh, is that right,” he mused teasingly, tying the towel around his waist and walking out into his bedroom.  “I’ll look forward to it, then.” Venom purred his agreement.

When Eddie had picked out a relatively clean pair of jeans and shirt, Venom absorbed back into his skin to allow him to get dressed, but not before nudging against Eddie’s jaw in a way that reminded him of a cat’s affectionate headbutt.

A quick breakfast - and the promise of a  _ real meal _ after work; Venom had earned it - and he was out the door; early as it was, Eddie was feeling good and didn't mind heading in before he actually had to be at work.  The commute seemed better than usual. Maybe it was the nice weather and less traffic than expected, or maybe it was the clear-mindedness that came from having had a proper orgasm for the first time in a while.  It definitely had something to do with the web of inky threads that he could feel both inside and out as Venom expressed what felt a lot like happiness by wrapping himself around Eddie however he could under his clothes, and under his skin.

He parked his new motorcycle - one of the first things he went out to buy once things had settled; he missed his old one too much - in the garage of the building he now worked in.  Anne had originally tried to convince him to get his old job back, especially since the network had offered it to him, but had eventually relented and agreed with Eddie that it would be refreshing to do something different for a little while, at least.  So he had found a job as a content developer for a relatively small online news company while also doing some freelance work when he could find it. The pay was adequate, and the work was easy.

“Mornin’, Lucy,” he greeted the receptionist, a woman with bright pink hair and a glowing smile.

“Good morning, Eddie,” she smiled at him.  “You’re in luck, I just put on a fresh pot of that mocha blend you like so much.”

“Cupcakes yesterday, and mocha this morning.  If you aren’t careful, I’ll start thinking you’ve got ulterior motives,” he told her with a wink.

“The cupcakes were for Jocelyn’s anniversary, Eddie, not you,” she called after him, and even with his back turned he could hear the smile.

**_What’s an anniversary?_ **

“Oh, uh,” Eddie murmured as he entered the small kitchen to get a cup of coffee.  “Well, anniversaries celebrate the date of something special. Like marriage or dating or, in this case, getting a new job or joining a team.  Jocelyn’s been here for three years, so we celebrated that. Why didn’t you ask this yesterday?”

**_You didn’t celebrate anniversaries with Anne with cupcakes._ **

Eddie laughed a little, taking a mug and pouring some of the steaming coffee into it.  “No, no we didn’t. We celebrated a little differently. But that was a different kind of anniversary.”

The voice went quiet, and Eddie could sense a probing of his memories for more information.  Well, as long as it would let him get some work done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of my fics are titled after song lyrics so GUESS WHAT so is this one.  
> Today's title brought to you by Fall Out Boy's "Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)": _I'll stop wearing black when they make a darker color._
> 
> Side note: this is one of many songs on my Symbrock playlist  
> ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ


	2. recognized

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie goes hunting. It does not go as expected.

The day passed relatively uneventfully.  Venom proclaimed hunger around noon, so Eddie went down to the market on the corner to buy a full rotisserie chicken during his lunch break, acknowledging that this was simply to hold them off until after work.  They ate it together, sitting in a quiet alley, Venom manifesting himself at almost Eddie’s size from his shoulder. At one point, Eddie had let some of the juices drip down his chin, and a claw-like hand sprouted from him to tilt his head up to allow Venom’s tongue to lick it up.  This left Eddie smirking, and he pressed a kiss to the fingers of the hand that released his jaw before it disappeared again.

When Eddie returned from their lunch break, he chatted for a bit with Lucy about an upcoming festival that she had been talking about going to while she ate her salad at the reception desk.

**_You like her._ **

“Of course I do, she’s nice,” Eddie muttered under his breath as he walked back to his desk.

**_You like the way she looks._ **

“Yes, she’s pretty.”  He smiled and nodded at a coworker as they passed each other, and Eddie waited until he turned the corner to continue, “So what?”

**_You want her._ **  It was a statement, but there was something else coloring it.  Eddie sat at his desk and, before waking his computer up, took a second to focus.   _ Jealousy _ .

“You’re jealous?” Eddie asked under his breath; his desk was not very far from others, but most were still out on lunch.

**_You’re mine, Eddie._ **  This was said with such force that Eddie felt the thrum of possessiveness  _ and voracity _ pump through his veins like hot honey syrup, thick and sweet and not entirely unwanted.

“I am yours,” he murmured, which dyed the possessiveness the color of satisfaction, and that was enough to make Eddie smile himself.  “Nothing’s going to change that. No one is going to change that.”

**_Good._ **

“That doesn’t mean I’m never going to ask anyone out.”

**_Why?_ **  The faintest thrum of anger.   **_You don’t need anyone else.  I showed you this morning._ **

“V, listen.”  Eddie touched his shoulder subconsciously, as if expecting to feel something there; he was greeted with the thinnest of threads twirling around his fingers.  “No one can ever take your place, and no one will ever be able to take me from you. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to want other human contact once in a while.  All right?”

There was silence for a few moments, which Eddie used to wake up his computer and log back in.  Finally,  **_All right._ **

“Good,” Eddie breathed with a smile.  “Don’t worry so much. Nothing can ever compare to the bond we’ve got.”  Literally, he added, more for himself.

The word echoed in his mind a few times,  **_bond_ ** , as it connected with various images in his memories.  Venom gave a low purr of contentment, and seem to settle in Eddie’s chest, like a cat curling up for a nap.

A few minutes later, Venom commented,  **_She makes good chocolate cupcakes_ ** , which was just unexpected enough to make Eddie laugh out loud, earning a few startled looks.  Eddie brushed them away with an excuse of an entertaining online post he was viewing, but his smile stuck around for the rest of the afternoon.  That was as close to approval as he was going to get.

  
  
  


By the end of the day, Eddie was feeling ready to go home, have a few beers, and watch some trash television, but of course he was reminded that  **_we need food_ ** .

“Yeah, I know, we’ll find a bad person for you,” Eddie told the insistent voice as they left the office.  He had stayed a little later than usual, but since it was also Friday and most people had left early, there was no Lucy to wave goodbye to.  “Maybe more than one. You deserve a treat.”

There was a swell of appreciation in his chest, and - alone in the elevator - he felt threads of black caressing his face.  He chuckled and leaned into them.

Instead of retrieving his motorcycle immediately, Eddie exited onto the street.  He figured if he walked the back alleys for long enough, he was bound to come across someone -  **_multiple someones_ ** \- in need of a good head removal.

It didn’t take nearly as long as he had expected.  Within ten minutes of walking behind and in between buildings, his ears pricked (with some help) as he picked up a woman’s voice nearby; “N-no, please, please don’t---” And then a deeper voice, male, responding, “Shut up.”  As Eddie followed the voices, he could already feel Venom snaking over his body, covering his shoulders and arms, and a deep throb of a craving hunger at the anticipation of their next meal.

He turned a corner to find the scene laid out before them.  Three men with their hoods drawn, two with knives brandished, were grouped around what Eddie assumed was their female victim, who was hidden from his view as she cowered behind a dumpster.  He heard her sob as the man closest to her drew closer still.

“Hey,” Eddie called, and all three whipped around to look at him walking towards them.  “You should probably leave her alone,” he suggested, while the hope that they didn’t leave her alone pulsed through him.   _ Give us an excuse, any excuse.  _

“Yeah?  Or else what?” asked one of the men with a knife drawn, gesticulating at Eddie with it.

Eddie smirked, and felt his own excitement twirl and mix with the other’s ecstatic anticipation.  “Hear that, V? They want to know ‘or else what’.”

There was a pleased growl in his chest, and Eddie let Venom take control, enjoying the way he was consumed by silky black in a way he wondered why he had never fully appreciated before.  The feeling of being surrounded by pulsing dark warmth that shared in his desires was equal only to the prospect of a proper meal.

They were now bearing down on the men, who were showing the initial signs of regret, and they said, “ **_Or else this._ ** ”

It was a little hard to keep track of what happened next; Eddie wondered briefly if that was how Venom felt when he was silent in their shared mind.  He tried to focus, to see through the other’s view. They had pinned one man to the opposite wall while swiping the other two into the side of the dumpster, knocking them out.  There were shouts of fear and surprise, but the sounds were quickly squashed as they beared down upon the first man, and with a sickening  _ squelch _ , he was silenced as his head was torn off.  As they ate their way through him, one of the men slumped on the ground was not as passed out as they thought, and was trying to scramble away.  A thick black tendril shot out from their back and grabbed the man with no kindness, and whipped him over their head to slam him on the ground in front of them.

Eddie honestly didn’t care much for the devouring of people - in another life, it would have absolutely disgusted him; it was probably a good coping mechanism, all things considered, that he tended to just bury the negative thoughts and feelings about it - but he had to admit that the feeling of their hunger being satisfied was not unpleasant.  They cleaned up the scene quickly, and Eddie felt a thrum of satiation throughout them both. “ **_We did good, Eddie?_ ** ”

“Real good, pal.  Make sure the girl’s okay.”

But before they could turn around to check on the would-be victim, there was a touch on their arm, and Venom twitched away from it.  They whipped around, Eddie wondering if they had missed a fourth attacker, but instead they were facing the girl who had approached them with wide-eyed astonishment.

“Eddie?”

Surprise matching the expression on the girl’s face thrilled through them, and suddenly Venom was retracting back into Eddie as though startled  _ or scared _ .  It must have been a mirror of Eddie’s own fear, because now that he could see the girl, in the light and through his own eyes, he recognized the pink hair immediately.

“Lucy!”  Venom was squirming inside his chest, and Eddie wasn’t sure where the anxiety they were feeling was originating from.  He remembered when Anne first saw them like that, about to eat a police officer, and the same way panic rushed through them both like a forest fire, consuming everything else in its wake.  They - he? - didn’t like being recognized like this. Sure, they had mercilessly  _ devoured _ that man in front of Mrs Chen, but that felt different, Mrs Chen was different.  Anne and Lucy were not just people they saw once in a while in passing, they saw Anne fairly regularly and Lucy at least five days a week, they talked to her all the time, they---

But she was speaking, and he had to turn his attention back to her.  “Eddie, what---” She was still holding her hand out from when she had gotten their attention, as though shock had frozen her on the spot.  “You… you…”

He didn’t know what to say.  “Yeah, look, I’ve got a, uh,”  **_no, Eddie_ ** , “ _ parasite _ ,”  **_not a parasite, Eddie_ ** , “and sometimes it, uh rather, we…”

“You saved me,” Lucy said in a small voice, as though she hadn't heard him.

Eddie blinked, and looked around.  The only traces of her attackers were a knife and a few small puddles of blood.  “Well, yeah, of course we did.” He turned back to Lucy, but she was still staring in bewilderment.  “Uh, are you, y’know, okay?” he asked when she said nothing. Her shirt was slipping off of one shoulder, and there was a faint red mark on one of her cheeks, but otherwise she seemed to be unharmed.  There was some relief to be had in that, at least.

“Yeah,” she breathed.  “Yeah, I’m--- I’m fine.”  There was also something else that whirled around him, like relief but tinted with a shade of equanimity.  It took him a moment to realize why.  _ She’s not running away. _

He cleared his throat, and tried to think of something to say.  “Hey, you’re fine, so that’s great, and uh---”  **_Eddie, sirens._ **  He stopped, and turned his head to listen better.  Sure enough, he could hear police approaching. “Shit.  Okay, we’ve gotta go,” he said quickly, giving Lucy a short, admittedly awkward, pat on the shoulder.  “Someone must have called in the disturbance, and it’s probably not great if, y'know, we're still here when the cops show up, so I’m gonna go, and uh, I, uh, I hope you feel better.”

**_That was lame_ ** , the voice told him as he sprinted down the alley, and took a corner a little too fast, having to push off of the wall to keep himself steady from the momentum.   **_‘Hope you feel better’.  Lame, Eddie._ **

“Shut up,” he muttered back, and received a little laugh in response.

  
  
  


Eddie was able to retrieve his motorcycle and get home without incident.  When he got inside, he tossed his coat over a chair and went to the fridge.  “Great,” he muttered, “no chance of asking her out now.” He pulled two beers from the fridge and threw himself down on the couch.

**_Why not?  She wasn’t afraid._ **

“Yeah, not being afraid and wanting to go on a date are two different things, bud.  What kind of girl is going to want to date me when she knows about you?” he said, rolling his eyes.  “No offense, V, but you’re not exactly like a cute cuddly kitten or anything, y’know?”

As he turned on the TV, Venom was manifesting from his chest.  “ **_You didn’t think that this morning._ ** ”

Eddie popped the cap from the first beer, and looked over at Venom.  “Yeah, well. Just because I have weird tastes, doesn’t mean everyone will.”

Venom gave a little snort, which Eddie was sure was a laugh, and instead of leaving, nuzzled up to Eddie, under his chin.  He sipped his beer, and glanced down at his chest, once again reminded of a cat.

“ **_I am not a cat, Eddie._ ** ”

He laughed, and turned to watch the TV.  “I know you’re not, V.” That didn’t stop him from moving his free hand to his chest, where he could comb his fingers through the web-like symbiote, and it certainly didn’t stop Venom from  _ purring _ with contentment.


	3. confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A pleasant day leads to a perfect evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned how much fun it is to write for these disasters? It's super fun.

The next morning, Eddie woke up on the couch to an episode of “How It’s Made” showing them how mobile homes were produced.  He rubbed his head, wondering why something felt off. He remembered arguing with Venom over the feasibility of one of the “Mythbusters” experiments last night, and eventually agreeing that yes, if they could travel into space, they could settle the matter much quicker.  He remembered Venom demanding some of the leftover chocolate cupcakes that Lucy had agreed to let him take home after their coworkers had eaten their fill, and when Eddie refused to get off the couch (petulantly, yes), Venom had stretched himself over to the counter to get them.  He remembered chocolate frosting on his cheek and a long tongue to clean it off. He remembered a kiss with too many teeth. He remembered falling asleep on the couch, wrapped in a possessive embrace with the whispered reminder  **_mine_ ** flowing through him.

He glanced down and was greeted with Venom staring back at him from his chest.  Ah, that would be it. He wasn’t woken to the usual voice in his head. “Morning, V,” Eddie said.

“ **_We let you sleep in_ ** ,” Venom responded.

While Eddie saw the truth of it, he could also see a flash of being watched while he slept with fondness in the stare.  He smiled, and reached out to brush his hand through tendrils that curled around his fingers at the contact. “Thanks, darling,” he said with a teasing wink.  “Would have been better if you had breakfast waiting, too.”

“ **_We can’t cook, Eddie_ ** .”

“No, you’re right,” Eddie agreed as he sat up.  “We can’t.”

Venom moved from his chest to his shoulder as they made their way to the bathroom to shower.  As they stepped into the water, Venom said, “ **_You called me ‘darling’._ ** ”

“I did,” Eddie agreed, squeezing a dollop of shampoo into his hand.  “Y’know, watching me sleep, letting me sleep in--- you’re acting like a girlfriend.  Boyfriend. Whatever.”

“ **_You never called Anne ‘darling’, did you?_ ** ”

“Nah, she wasn’t big on pet names,” he said with a slight shrug, massaging the shampoo into his hair.  “Never really called anyone pet names, I guess. Must mean you’re special,” he teased.

**_Special_** bounced around his mind a few times as he leaned back to rinse the shampoo out.  Little Venom swayed in front of him as the word was pondered. “ ** _Special to you_** ,” came the response a few moments later, a slight question in the inflection.

“Of course ‘special to me’,” Eddie said, smiling.

He felt a wave of delight wash over him, and Venom smiled a little wider.  “ **_You are special, too._ ** ”

“Special to you?” he asked with a slight smirk, knowing the answer already.

“ **_Very special to me._ ** ”  

“Glad to hear it,  _ darling _ ,” he said, just a hint of a tease coloring the term of endearment; he knew Venom liked it, even without the second wave of pleased satisfaction.  Little Venom moved to bump against his jaw in an affectionate gesture, and settled again on his shoulder.

“You’ve been out a lot lately,” Eddie remarked as he reached for his soap.

“ **_You like to see me._ ** ”  Another statement of fact that was, of course, obvious to them both.  Just one of those things that had to be said, Eddie supposed.

“Yeah, I do,” he agreed.  Sure, he had adjusted well enough to having the voice in his head, and shared thoughts and emotions and sensations, but it was always a nice reminder to be able to see Venom with his own eyes, as if it was proof that he wasn't just crazy and talking to himself all the time.  He turned to kiss the symbiote where a nose would have been. “Makes it easier to do that, too,” he added. A little strand of joy trilled through him, and he smiled. “Just an observation; I like having you out.”

  
  
  
  


They spent most of the day lazing around the apartment, relaxing on the couch, watching their favorite trashy midday talk shows and reality programs.  By mid-afternoon, Eddie was feeling a little hungry - okay, he was  _ always _ “a little hungry” these days; he was feeling hungrier than usual - so he suggested they go somewhere for some lunch.  Venom was in the mood for burgers apparently. So Eddie slipped on his jacket and left the apartment to walk to the burger joint a few blocks away.

It was windy as they walked down the street.  Eddie shivered a little and tugged his jacket tighter around himself.   **_Cold, Eddie?_ **  “Just a bit; I’ll be fine,” he responded aloud.

**_I can help._ **  Before he could respond, he could feel Venom oozing out around his neck and shoulders; luckily no one was paying them any attention, or else this would have been a very conspicuous move.  After a few seconds, Venom’s tendrils were wrapped close around Eddie’s neck, and pushed up against his jaw. A scarf, that hung down to his chest with an all-too-familiar design on one of the ends, a pair of opalescent eyes.  Eddie chuckled. “I like it, V.”

**_Warmer?_ **

“Much better,” he agreed, and Venom hugged him a little tighter with a small hum of contentment.

The cashier at the burger place complimented his scarf as she passed Eddie his four burgers to-go, and Eddie thanked her, telling her it was one-of-a-kind and that he was lucky to have it, which he did mostly so he could feel Venom’s swell of pride.  They walked a few more blocks to a park, where Eddie sat on a bench to eat their lunch. They watched a few joggers pass by, some kids playing a mock soccer game in the field, couples out on afternoon walks.

**_Why do they hold their hands together, Eddie?_ **

“It’s just a thing couples do.  To feel close to each other, I guess.”

**_We can hold hands?_ **

“Oh, we’re a couple now?” Eddie asked with a smirk.

**_Yes_ ** , Venom responded, and then with teasing sarcasm that Eddie didn’t know Venom actually grasped, added,  **_darling._ **

He laughed, but was surprisingly taken with the idea.  So he slipped his hand into his pocket, where it would be hidden from the casual observer.  “Then yes, I suppose we can hold hands.” Before he had even finished speaking, he could feel tendrils twisting down his arm under his jacket, and then forming a hand to interlace fingers with his own in his pocket.  A warmth spread throughout him that had nothing to do with his new scarf.

  
  
  


That evening, Eddie was lost in thought as some show or another played on the TV.  Venom seemed far more interested in the program than he was, so for once, Eddie was left more-or-less to his own thoughts for a bit.

Something had definitely changed in their dynamic.  He wasn’t really as surprised as he should have been, he supposed; any previous romantic relationship he had been in had changed once he and his partner had done something sexual.  And what was this, really, besides another of those relationships? There were all the hallmarks of one: desire to be close to one another; enjoying each other’s company; feeling wanted,  _ needed _ , by someone (something) else.  Even pet names and hand-holding and sex (well, close enough).  Eddie was, admittedly, surprised that Venom reacted in such a human way to the changing dynamic.  The symbiote had, after all, started to do things that Eddie enjoyed - like being physically present and cuddling up to him - and had reacted well to Eddie’s advances - pet names and teasing flirting.

“ **_Eddie._ ** ”

“Yes, sweetheart,” he responded, taking a sip of his beer.  The new pet name was well-received, judging by the ripple of enjoyment.

“ **_We’re bored._ ** ”

“I thought you were enjoying the---”  He looked up at the TV and realized that the show was over, and something much less interesting was up next.  “Ah, all right. What do you want to do, then?”

“ **_You._ ** ”

“What?”  It was a stupid question; Eddie already knew “what”.  Venom was expanding a torso to add to the head, and was hovering suspended above Eddie, who was smiling a little.  “This again?”

“ **_We liked it._ ** ”

“Yeah, we did,” Eddie agreed.  One of Venom’s claw-like hands was wrapping around the one of Eddie’s without a beer and lifted it above his head, pinning it to the arm of the couch.  “A little rougher this time, huh?”

“ **_I won’t hurt you._ ** ”

Eddie tilted his chin up, and smiled up at Venom.  “I know you won’t, V. You could never hurt me.”  **_Never.  Not my Eddie._ **  “Besides, I don’t mind it a little rough.”

Tendrils were already snaking down his chest and stomach, and then his pants were pushed down.  “ **_Put down your beer._ ** ”

“Good idea,” Eddie agreed, and had just managed to find the coffee table to set it down when that hand was also grabbed and pinned above his head.  He struggled a little against the hold, but with no real effort, mostly just to test it. It was tight. “You’re in charge tonight, huh?”

“ **_Always._ ** ”

Eddie chuckled a little, but it turned to a gasp as Venom wasted no time in wrapping his cock in tendrils.  “Right to it, I see,” he managed, and it was punctuated with a moan as the tendrils tightened and stroked slowly.  He might not have been hard a moment ago, but that issue was soon remedied. “Mm, V,” he murmured.

Venom leaned closer, and Eddie’s lips parted slightly, as though asking for a kiss.  Instead, he was met with a long tongue that licked a streak from his jaw up his cheek to his temple.   **_Love the way you taste._ **  Then it went to his neck, and played across his jugular to his chin.  Eddie squirmed under the attention, and the grip on his arms tightened.  “ **_Stay still_ ** ,” came a growled command in his ear.

“I can’t, if you’re going to keep doing that,” Eddie said with a hint of his usual bravado.  “You can’t tease me and expect me to stay still.” As if to illustrate this, a particularly impassioned movement on his cock made him moan and squirm again.  “V, please, I-I need more.”

“ **_More what?_ ** ”

“More of you.”  The answer came before he could think about it, but Eddie was glad it did, because he was met with thrilled agreement, and then dozens of new tendrils sprouting from Venom’s torso and spreading all over him, again caressing every inch of his skin, pushing his shirt up, encircling his neck and arms.  Eddie let out a moan, and when his lips parted this time, he felt Venom’s tongue on his, and then it was filling his mouth, then  _ hitting the back of his throat and going further _ .  Another moan, heavier this time, but tinted with a shade of panic from the underdeveloped self-preservation corner of his brain.  He was choking on the tongue, but even as he tried to pull back, he heard,  **_Relax._ **

How he was supposed to relax when he was having trouble breathing, he didn't know, but something in Venom's tone was ...reassuring. Eddie knew he wasn't in any danger, but that tiny little logical part of his brain was still battling, still making him struggle against the hold.

And then, all at once, the miniscule rational thoughts were drowned out as **_Be still_** throbbed in his mind and his muscles all froze without his consent, and nothing but pleasure thrummed through him as control was taken from him and he knew, _he knew_ , he was safe and taken care of and _being_ _driven once again_ towards that ledge of euphoria.  Eddie closed his eyes and let Venom have control, willingly surrendering to whatever his symbiote had in mind because _he knew_ it had to be good.

Just as his thoughts were turning towards true panic due to the continued restriction of oxygen, the tongue invading his throat was pulling back.  Eddie took a deep, grateful breath that was immediately transformed into another long, deep moan. Venom was finding every sensitive spot on his body and simultaneously lavishing each one with what felt like a thousand kisses both on and underneath his skin.  Kisses.

_ Kisses. _

This wasn’t animalistic desire for release; all at once, Eddie felt a throb of that radiant-warm feeling again that he couldn’t place last time and finally recognized it.  Affection. Love.

_ Love _ .

“Oh, V,” he moaned.  “Sweetheart.” His mind was filled with the buzzing of joy and pleasure  _ and impassioned lust _ , and without thinking about it, not knowing if he had gotten control back yet, he was again thrusting his hips up in time with the quickened stroking.  One of his hands was released, but only so that his fingers could become intertwined with the other’s and held tightly. “Make us come,” he begged breathlessly.

**_Us_ **

And there it was, building in the pit of his stomach twice as quickly as he remembered it, and at least twice as strongly, and then he was coming,  _ they were coming _ , as twin ecstasies chased each other in swirling circles through their brain.  Eddie could just barely make out the sensation of the other’s forehead against his, and then the tongue against his again and more thoughts of  _ mine  _ **_mine all mine_ ** twirling pirouettes throughout his body.

They came down a few moments later, Eddie breathing hard.  Venom had released his pinned hand, but their others were still grasping each other tightly.  He didn’t remember when it had happened, but his eyes were closed, and he relished in the sensation of Venom’s tendrils still encircling his entire body, possessively embracing what was theirs.

“ **_Eddie._ ** ”

“Yes, darling,” he said, taking a deep breath in an effort to return his breathing to a normal rhythm.

“ **_I love you, Eddie._ ** ”

Having met this declaration a few times in the past, Eddie had expected to feel a surge of anxiety, wondering if he was ready to return the sentiment, whether it was the right thing to do, and what would happen if he didn't.  He had expected to doubt the truth of the words he would say next, secretly wondering if they were lies that people told each other in an effort to avoid the realizations about their loneliness.

But this time, he knew he spoke the truth; there was no doubt in his mind.  “I love you, too, V.” The proclamation was met with unquestionable thrills of joy and affection as the tendrils enfolding him seemed to hum with satisfaction.

**_My love._ **

“My love,” Eddie repeated out loud with a contented smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah we all knew it was coming  
> only took three chapters |P
> 
> comments are <3 <3 <3! I respond to every single one~

**Author's Note:**

> I'm probably going to be updating every two weeks (instead of every week) over the summer; mostly to give myself more time to review/edit the chapters I already have written, and to write some more, all while being able to balance my summer classes and withering social life. Just so y'all know what's up <3


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